Electric clock.



No. 643,506. Patented Feb. I3, I900.

H. IVERSEN.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

(Applicafion filed Aug. 3, 1999' (No Model.)

UNITED STATES HENRY IVERSEN, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

CORSIOANA, TEXAS.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,506, dated February 13, 1900.

Application filed August 3,1899.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY IVERSEN, a citizen of the United States,residingat Corsicana, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Operated Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrically-operated clocks, my object being to provide simple and comparatively inexpensive means by which one or more clocks arranged at different and moreor less widely separated points may be actuated in perfect synchronism with a single controlling-clock. It is my purpose to simplify, improve, and reduce the cost of constructing and operating clocks of this type; and my invention consists in the novel features of construction and new combinations of parts hereinafter fully explained and then particularly pointed out and defined in the claims which terminate this specification.

To enable others to understand and to make and usemy said invention, 1 will now describeit in detail, reference being had for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face elevation of a controllingclock and a single clock driven by electric energy synchronously with the controllingclock, a part only of the mechanism of the second clock being shown. Fig. 2 is a detail view,upon a larger scale,of the circuit-breaker forming part of the controlling-clock.

The reference-numeral 1 in said drawings indicates the controlling-clock, which may be of any preferred form of that type of clock in which a pendulum is used. The clock 1 is provided with a pendulum 2 of. the usual construction, and in the present instance this is shown as inclosed in a case 3, part of which is broken away to show the position of the circuit-breaker. This device, which is shown in Fig. 2 in detail, consists, essentially, of two electrical contacts 4 and 5, the contact 4 consisting of a light elastic strip of conductingv metal rigidly mounted at one end upon an insulating-block 6, its other end being free to vibrate. The contact 5 is a screw formed also of suitable conducting metal and tapped through an arm 7 at such a point that the end of the screw will be normally in touch with the contact-strip 4 at a point not far Serial No. 726,023. (No model.)

from the middle of the latter, the engagement of the two contacts being maintained by the elasticity of the strip 4, while the adjustability of the screw 5 enables it to be so placed that said strip will bear upon its end Very lightly. For convenience these contacts may be mounted upon a bracket or base 8, of which the arm 7 forms part. The bracket is arranged within the casing-3 at such a point that the pendulum of the clock as it completes its movement in one direction will abut against the end of the elastic contact 4 and move or bend it sufficiently to remove it from touch with the end of the screw 5. As the pendulum swings in the opposite direction the contact 4 by its own elasticity again resumes its engagement with said screw and maintains it until the next stroke of the pendulum, when the operation is repeated. By this action of the pendulum the circuit of which the contacts at and 5 form part is broken at each stroke and immediately reestablished The numeral 9 denotes the casing of an electrically-operated clock, the dial and gearing, with the exception of the first wheel of the train, being omitted, as these may be of any preferred construction. The clock is operated by the intermittent or step-by-step revolution of a ratchet-wheel 10, which is held against retrograde movement by a pawl 12. The step-by-step revolution is produced by an elbow or L shaped lever 13, having a pivot or fulcrum 14 near the end of one of its arms, the end of the other arm lying near the edge or teeth of the ratchet 10 and being provided with a pawl 15, which engages the ratchetteeth, being lightly pressed against them by suitable means, such as an arm or weight 16, forming part of said pawl and lying on the other side of its pivot. The extremity of the arm in which the fulcrum 14 is located is acted upon by a spiral or other spring 17, having sufficient strength to raise the arm carrying the pawl 15, so that the latter can efiect a new engagement with the tooth of the ratchet next to that which it previously engaged. The pawl-carrying arm of the lever is guided in this movement by a loop or keeper 18, and the upward movement of the lever may be arrested at the exact point necessary in order to insure the proper engagement of the pawl 15 by a set-screw 19, which is tapped through a lug or bracket 20 and overhangs the pivoted arm of the lever. The tension of the spring 17 also is regulated by a set-screw 21, which is tapped through the end of the lever-arm, the spring being connected to a hook on the end of the screw and to asuit able fastening on the base. The pivot or fulcrum 14 is supported 01128; post 22, which can be placed on the bottom of the casing 9 or elsewhere. Upon the pivoted arm of the lever, between the fulcrum 14 and the pawlcarrying arm, is attached an armature 23, and beneath the same is an electromagnet 24, which is energized by current from a local or other battery B. The circuit of this battery includes the contacts 4 and 5 and the winding of the electromagnet 24. The circuitwires 25 and 26 are usually attached to binding-posts 27 and 28 on the bracket 8.

The operation of the clock is as follows: Being upon a normally-closed circuit, the attraction of the electromagnet 24 overcomes the spring 17 and draws the lever downward until it is arrested by a set-screw 29, between which and the set-screw 19 its vibration takes place. The movement produced by the elec tromagnet causes the pawl 15 to turn the ratchet 1O far enough so that when the lever is moved in the opposite direction by the spring 17 the pawl 15 will engage the next tooth of the ratchet. The lever is released from the attraction of the electromagnet 24 by the pendulum 2 of the controlling-clock coming into contact with the elastic strip 4 and drawing it for a moment off the end of the screw 5, thereby opening the circuit of the electromagnet and depriving it of energy. During the very short time that the circuit remains open the spring 17 performs its function, the lever is raised till arrested by the stop 19, and the pawl 15 snaps into the .tooth of the ratchet next to that which it engaged just before. The pendulum 2 having now vibrated in the opposite direction, the elastic contact 4 again comes in touch with the end of the screw-contact 5, the circuit is reestablished, and the electromagnet 24 being again energized it draws the lever down, advancing the ratchet 10 another tooth and holding the lever down until the pendulum by its succeeding stroke again opens the circuit.

It would be a simple matter to produce the movement of the ratchet twice during each complete stroke of the pendulum instead of once; but as this would involve practically a mere duplication of the parts shown I regard it as being within the scope orpurpose of my invention and do not consider it necessary to show and describe it. A

It is evident that any number of electrically-driven clocks can be operated and regulated by a single controlling-clock, which will also synchronize all of the said clocks.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination of a controlling-clock having a pendulum to swing in a vertical plane, a base or bracket arranged on a part of the frame of said clock and having an adj ustable contact screw, an elastic contactstrip insulated on said base or bracket, normally in contact with said screw and moved therefrom by the direct action of the pendulum, a clock to be controlled, having a ratchetwheel on the shaft of one of the gears of its train, an elbowslever having one arm provided with a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel and the otherarln pivoted near its extremity to a part of the controlled-clock casing, an armature attached to the pivoted arm of said le ver, an electromagnet in operative connection with said armature, and an electric circuit including the said contacts and the magnet, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a controlling-clock having a pendulum to swing in a vertical plane, a base or bracket having an adjustable contact-screw, an inherently-elastic contactstrip insulated from said base or bracket, normally pressing against said contact-screw and moved therefrom by the pendulum, a clock to be controlled, having a ratchet-wheel in its train of gearing, a pivoted elbow-leverhaving one arm provided with a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel and the other arm provided with an armature, an electromagnet in operative connection with the armature, a spring for swinging the lever on its pivot to raise said pawl, means for adjusting the tension of said spring, an adjustable device forlimiting the upward movement of the lever to insure the correct engagement of-said pawl with said ratchet-wheel, and an electric circuit includ ing the said contacts and the magnet, substantially'as described.

3. The combination with a controlling-clock having a pendulum which swings in a vertical plane, and a circuit-breaker operated by the pendulum, of a clock to be controlled, having a ratchet-wheel on the shaft of one of the gears of its train, a lever comprising a Vertical and a horizontal lever-arm, the latter pivoted near one extremity below the ratchetwheel, a pawl on the vertical lever-arm for engaging said ratchet-wheel, an armature on the horizontal lever-arm, a set-screw in the extremity of the horizontal lever-arm, a spring engaged with and having its tension regulated by said screw and serving to turn the lever and raise its pawl, an adjustable setscrew arranged in relation to the horizontal lever-arm to arrest its upward movement at the required point,an electromagnet arranged under said armature, and an electric circuit including said circuit-breaker and magnet, substantially described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

HENRY IVERSEN.

Witnesses:

A. 0. SMITH, T. G. HILL. Y 

